Please Don't Ask Me to Stay
by TheBookBully
Summary: "Alright I won't... don't go" Hermione and George reflect after a one night stand.


"Hey Readers! This is my entry to the January Twins Exchange Challenge! I hope you enjoy, I had run writing it, and please review & vote!"-E

Prompt:

Wind

Pairings:

Hermione & George

Quotes:

"Up, up, and away"

Theme (optional):

New Year's

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**oOoOoOo**

His rhythmic, steady breath on her face slowly woke her. Blinking against the sleepiness, Hermione let her eyes drift across her room, which was illuminated only by the small pillar of early morning light through the crack in the curtains. He sniffed and shifted next to her, drawing her attention back to the sleeping redhead in her bed; his naked chest rising and falling with each breath. Outside, the wind rattled the windows as Hermione climbed out of bed and searched for some clothes. She needed to go for a walk.

The wind cut cross the barren field and up the hill towards her, the apple trees creaking and groaned in protest. Between the trees, the grass had been ripped free of its ice encasement and was now rippling and waving in the cool morning air. As the wind reached its destination, it curled around her legs, flipping the dark blue fabric of her skirt up, teasing her. Hermione cursed quietly and fought as the fabric twisted and pulled, the wind ripping it from her fingers as it flipped up once again.

"Damn it!"

Hermione couldn't control the wind - no witch or wizard could- but at least she should be able to remember it was January first and that a skirt probably wasn't the best choice.

"Don't blow away!" called a cheerful voice behind her. Looking back over her shoulder, Hermione frowned before turning back around, trying to focus on the distant fields. She watched as the wind rippled across the landscape, the currents making waves in the tall grasses as George walked up beside her.

"It sure is windy today," he said. His voice was breathy from his short hike up the hill and without even looking at him, Hermione could hear his smile. Even after a few silent moments she could sense it was still there.

"And chilly," he continued. "Not too bad for January of course, but it is quite chilly out. Especially _right_ here."

Hermione huffed, her breath fogging in front of her as she pulled her coat closer and turned on her heel to leave, only to be stopped by George as he stepped in front of her, his hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione I-"

"Please, don't ask me to stay." She interrupted softly, looking up into his smiling eyes, which faltered a little at her words.

"Alright, I won't," George said, stepping aside and giving her room to pass. However, she was only a few steps closer to The Burrow when his hand reached out to grab her own once again. "Don't go."

Hermione couldn't help smiling as she stopped and turned back to him. Only George would still tease her now, holding onto her hand as his usual grin grew somehow larger. She walked back, defeated.

"You aren't mad at me?" he asked as he searched her face.

"No, I'm not mad."

It was the truth. Hermione gave him a sideways glance as they strolled through the orchard; it was impossible to be mad at him for long. Besides, what had happened had been just as much her fault as his.

The party wasn't one of those huge New Year's blowouts she got invited to every year. Being The Famous Hermione Granger always got her invited to the big events of the season, and her Ministry position often required her to attend at least some of them. However, the idea of being crammed in a fancy dress, squashed into high heels, and finally squeezed into yet another crowded ballroom was enough to make her dread the New Year all together. This year, Molly and Arthur were out of town with Bill and Fleur, so when Ginny suggested a small get together at The Burrow -close friends only- Hermione could have kissed her. She happily threw away all her other invites for the night.

Walking in the front door after work, she was greeted by the usual crowd as she slipped off her boots and joined them. Harry was with Ginny on the couch, his bright purple sweater vibrant against Ginny's hair as they sipped on cocktails, while Fred and Angelina chatted with Ron and Lavender by the warm fire. In the kitchen, Luna was deep in conversation with Charlie about dragons as Lee Jordan and George stocked the Weasley's fridge with drinks.

When Hermione joined them in the kitchen, George rushed over to hug her, his strong arms around her so tightly they pulled the laughter from her chest. Besides the weekly dinner at the burrow, Hermione really didn't see him that often. After setting her down, George once again asked her about work, and she, once again, had to explain that even though her position at the Ministry _was_ "International Liaison", she was neither a spy nor a hooker.

"Are you certain?" he poured her a drink. "With a title like that I just keep seeing you in a leather catsuit. You know, either climbing up the side of a building or into someone's bed."

"I promise you, George," she replied, trying not to smile as they walked back into the living room. "It's just a desk job."

It was one of those great small parties that eventually everyone hears about. Not long after Hermione arrived, the Patil twins showed up with Neville not far behind them, and then Alicia and Katie a little later. By the time midnight neared it was a full out Hogwarts reunion, and it was wonderful seeing all the familiar faces.

Apart from their first conversation when Hermione arrived, she really didn't talk to George much at the party. Naturally, he was one of those types constantly flitting between conversations and never talking to one person exclusively, which of course didn't bother her. Why should it? She didn't think of George any differently from any other guest there. That was, of course, until midnight.

Hermione was aware of the large number of couples at the party. It seemed that everyone was getting engaged, or was at least in a serious relationship at the moment. Ginny and Harry had been engaged for a few months and were planning a June wedding, while Ron had gotten back with Lavender at the beginning of the fall. Even Neville was seeing a pretty girl from his childhood neighborhood and were currently in a drunken lip-lock by the fire.

On the subject of her own New Year's kiss, Hermione naturally assumed when midnight chimed, she would cheer with the others then take a nice long drink of her Firewhiskey cocktail. Hopeful that everyone would be too distracted to notice she was all alone.

As the countdown commenced, her eyes naturally traveled to Ron and Lavender by the fire, his arm around her shoulder as they smiled. Replace Lavender with herself and it was the exact same scene last year. They hadn't worked, Hermione knew that. She didn't regret their breakup, yet it was moments like this she missed having someone. Someone to laugh and cheer with. Someone to kiss.

"3… 2… 1… _Happy New Year!"_

Everyone cheered as fireworks erupted, the sparks bouncing off the ceilings in bright, colorful explosions. Around her, couples grabbed each other, all smiling as they leaned in for their New Year's kiss while Hermione rang in the holiday with a nice long drink of her cocktail.

Suddenly, George moved across the room and pulled Hermione close, his hand grabbing at her waist as the other found her mass of curls. Tilting her head back, his mouth slammed into her own. Hermione inhaled deeply in surprise as he pressed her body into his own, his arms wrapping around her tightly. However, the surprise was only for a second before she deepened the kiss, her lips moving against his own as her free hand found the base of his neck.

After a long moment, George slowly pulled away, his lips pink and moist, a strange gleam in his eye. He stepped back and laughed, the vibrations of his loud voice moving through her as he ran a hand through his hair. With a final wink, he went back to mingling around the room.

Yet his mingling didn't last long. After midnight, the party was still going strong and as Hermione sat on the couch chatting with Luna, she kept catching George's eye from across the room. He faced her direction while talking with Charlie or Angelina, often glancing her way, and even winking a few times. And she would watch back, taking another long drink of her cocktail. It was probably then that she knew. Hermione knew she would sleep with him that night, and while he didn't say anything, she suspected George knew it as well.

After a while he gave up his mingling and joined her on the couch where they fell back into easy conversation, that unusual spark still in his eye. For the rest of the evening he stayed next to her, his arm around her shoulders and his knees against her own as they talked. Their conversation was nothing out of the ordinary -perhaps with a little more flirting than usual- but there was always that physical contact. Even when Luna got up to get a drink and her seat lay empty for a while, Hermione let herself continue leaning into him as he drew small circles on her knee.

As it got later, the party naturally slowed down as people left, filling the room with steady stream of green flames from the fireplace as they floo'ed home. Soon Hermione and George found themselves almost alone; only family remained as the music was turned off and the last of the fireworks sputtering to a halt. Ginny was clearly in no condition to tackle the current state of the living room, and Hermione happily offered to handle the mess as Harry half-carried his fiancé up the stairs.

As the green flames receded back to orange after the last guest left, Hermione was aware of George's intent gaze in her direction from across the empty room. Flipping her curly hair behind her, she surveyed the mess. The cluttering of empty glasses and Butterbeer bottles wasn't too bad, considering the size of the crowd. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Now, are you sober enough for wand work, Miss Granger?" George asked from across the room as Hermione grinned and waved her wand. She really wasn't that drunk. She wasn't sober enough to Apparate perhaps, but everyday cleaning charms were no problem. Of course George was just fine; Weasley men were always good at holding their Firewhiskey.

"Yes, I am perfectly capable," she replied softly, aware of the sultry edge to her voice as the bottles zoomed to the kitchen, dumped their remaining contents in the sink, and lined up neatly by the back door for recycling.

"Mhmm," George mumbled as he walked up behind her, gently pushing up the fabric of her shirt as hands explored the small of her back. The dishes zoomed into the kitchen as George pulled her closer, her back flush to his chest as his hands moved to her hips. "…perfectly."

As the last glass finished washing itself and joined the others by the sink to dry, Hermione took a deep breath, set her wand on the table in front of her, and turned to face him.

"Hi." she said softly.

"Hey." he replied, his usual grin pulling gently on the side of his mouth as he stepped forward, backing her into the table.

After a second their mouths closed the distance.

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"So are we going to talk about it or ignore it?" George asked as he followed her lazy stroll through the orchard, the wind catching his orange hair and making it stand up in all directions.

"Which would you prefer?"

He raised his brows at her answer before chuckling.

"Well, I am a bloke… so when it comes to stuff like this, I would say ignore it. However, I know that won't fly with you."

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Hermione couldn't help smiling again; she had always appreciated his honesty. She ran her hands across the tops of the tall grass at the base of one the apple trees, enjoying the cold softness of it as they walked.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

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When George pulled up on her legs, Hermione took the hint and hopped up on the table, her lips breaking away from his only for a moment before hungrily crashing back. His hands continued to wander her back under her shirt, his fingertips pushing under her bra as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Hermione tore her lips from his own to move to his neck, his stubble coarse on her chin as a moan rumbled under her mouth. His hands dug into her hair as he pulled her mouth to his again, but only for a moment.

"Bedroom?" He breathed as he pulled away.

Nodding, Hermione took George's hand as he helped her down from the table. With a wave of his wand the lights in the den went out, plunging them into darkness as the made their way to the stairs.

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"Why did you kiss me at midnight?"

"Who else was I going to kiss?" he replied, laughing as the wind pushed against him gently. "Lee? I don't think so"

"So I was just a last resort then?" Hermione huffed, the wind blowing her hair up as she turned to walk back to The Burrow but was once again stopped by his hand.

"You know I didn't mean that, love," he said softly, the smile gone from his face.

Hermione ignored him, waiting for him to release her hand so she could walk back to the house. He didn't let go and the more she fought him the tighter he held her.

"The party was practically filled to the brim with couples," he continued. "You saw it, I know you did. Usually, I don't care about the kiss at midnight but this year… I dunno."

Hermione looked up at him as George stared out over the field, his face serious for a moment before his usual mischievous grin returned.

"Besides, you looked pretty good last night and I was in the mood to gamble."

"Gamble?"

George laughed and continued walking, gently pulling Hermione along with him, her small hand still in his own.

"I half expected you to hex me into next week for kissing you," he said chuckling. "I didn't expect you to slink up next to me and kiss me right back."

Blushing, she glanced up at him to see that strange spark flicker through his blue eye again and was surprised by rush of excitement it gave her. Dropping his hand, Hermione walked to the edge of the hill and looked over the field. Suddenly, the wind rushed across the orchard and caught her skirt again, lifting it above her waist as George roared with laughter behind her.

"I can still give you that hex if you want it!" she threatened as he continued to chuckle.

"No, thank you. Allow me, love," George said with a smirk as he walked over and pulled out his wand, pointing it at her skirt. "_Immobulus._"

The fabric fell straight, the wind no longer touching it. Hermione felt silly.

"Thank you." she looked up at him and was surprised by how close George was to her. Returning his smile, she turned to step away, but his hand on her waist stopped her.

"Go out with me sometime." he asked, his voice bold, but his eyes questioning.

"Why?"

"It might be fun." he grinned, his eyes crinkling as he looked down at her.

"Hoping to get me in bed again?" Hermione teased as she raised her brow and smirked. George frowned.

"No, if I wanted that I would talk you back into bed with me right now," the huskiness in his voice surprised her as he stepped closer, his hand moving to the small of her back. "Go out with me."

"Why?"

"Why?" George echoed, his voice serious as his grip on her waist tightened. He looked into her eyes, all joking gone. "Why did you kiss me back? Why did you flirt and snuggle on the couch with me? Why did we go back to my old room together?"

George stared her down and Hermione found herself unable to speak under his gaze. This sternness was so uncharacteristic for him, probably one of the only times she had ever seen him so serious. But of course it wasn't just his attitude that silenced her; it was the fact that these were the exact same questions she had asked herself when she climbed out of his arms that morning.

"Well," she started, fishing for the right words. "It's like you said- the reason you kissed me at midnight. The party was full of couples, so happy and drawing attention to the fact I was all alone."

"So, loneliness then. That was it?"

"No, of course not," she shook her head, trying to wrap her brain about why she had jumped so quickly into this thing with him anyway. "Its more than that…. It feels like everyone is moving on but me."

The sternness slowly slid off his face as George nodded. He lessened his grip a little, stepping back.

"Even Fred has been talking of marriage lately, he is crazy about Angelina. It's going to be one of the first things we won't be able to tackle together," he said softly, looking out at the low sun as he talked. The wind blowing his hair strait up again, he turned back to her. "You are right, it wasn't mere loneliness."

"Then...is that why we couldn't go through with it. Why we didn't sleep together?"

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The door to the bedroom banged into the wall as they stumbled in, their mouths in a heated battle as their hands drifted over each other's bodies. George pulled away for a moment to quickly close the door and pull out his wand. Muttering a quick silencing spell, he tossed it onto the side table and moved back to Hermione. She moaned eagerly into his mouth as he picked her up and moved them to the bed.

Sitting down onto the edge of the mattress, his hands moved along her back under her sweater as she straddled him, kissing his neck. When she gently nibbled on his ear, George gasped and pulled her closer, her mouth moving back to his as her hands started working on the buttons of his shirt.

As the cool air of the room hit his chest, George rolled her over and sat up stripping off his shirt. Hermione scooted further up on the bed and pulled off hers as well as George watched. However he couldn't stay from her long, his eagerness to taste her pale skin- which seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the room- drew his mouth to hers. His mouth moved across her chest and stomach, drawing small gasps from her as his hands worked on the zipper of her jeans.

Hermione lifted her hips as George pulled down on her pants and threw them across the room. Looking over her thin curvy body, clad only in her pale blue bra and panties he felt himself get harder; who would have thought Hermione would have such a killer body?

The thought hit George like a bucket of ice water, leaving him frozen as Hermione sat up, her hands running up and down her chest as she kissed his neck. This wasn't just some witch from the pub; it was Hermione who knelt in front of him. Little bookworm, miss perfect Hermione Granger. His little brother's first girlfriend was currently driving a hot path across his chest with her lips as her hands drifted to the front of his pants.

"Hermione a-are you sure you want this?" he gasped as she pulled down on his zipper.

"Yes, of course," she replied, her voice breathy as she started pushed down on his jeans. However, as Hermione looked up to kiss him and her eyes met his own, she stopped. His usual grin was gone, his eyes wide and hesitant She had seen George startled and surprised before, but never frightened and the actuality of the moment hit her across the face.

"D-do _you_ want to do this?" she whispered.

"Well, you are amazing- I mean wow… but-" George stuttered, looking to the side as he fished for the right words, his jokes off and awkward.

"We should slow down." Hermione finished.

George looked at her and nodded as he slowly stood up by the side of the bed.

"I'll just leave then I-"

"Don't go!" Hermione found herself saying, the embarrassment quickly setting in. "I-I mean unless you need to-"

"No, I'll stay," he interrupted, nodding as he finished stripping off his jeans before moving back to the bed as Hermione scooted under the covers. Sliding into the small bed, he pulled her close. Her small frame was pressed tightly against his chest as he buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes.

"Its just really cold tonight I-"

"I know… trust me, I know."

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"We are friends, it would have been weird if we had gone through it," Hermione said softly as she looked up into his eyes. "It wasn't worth the sacrifice."

"Yeah, you are _not_ a one night stand." George added.

Hermione smiled, nodding as George pulled her into a warm hug, his chin resting on the top of her head as he held her.

"I don't,"

"Don't what?" he asked.

"Regret it," she said with a sigh, breathing in deep that strange smell of candy and gunpowder that was George. "You asked me earlier."

"Good," he replied with a small smile. "Me neither."

He gently ran his hands up and down her back as the wind teased her hair, the curls dancing in the wind. Soon the rest of the Burrow would be waking up and Molly and Arthur would be returning that afternoon, yet George let time stand still as he held her.

"Go out with me sometime."

"George!" laughed Hermione. "Just because everyone is dating or engaged doesn't mean we need to jump into something, I thought we decided this."

"It also doesn't mean we aren't allowed to," he replied with a grin, his arms locked around her tightly, halting her movement. "Come on, go out with me sometime. One date."

"I don't think so- George, let me go." she struggled against him, only enraging herself and enlarging his smile. After a moment Hermione stopped struggling and looked up at him.

"George, please don't ask me to stay." She repeated, unable to stop the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth.

That spark flashed in his eyes once again as he glanced down at her lips and smiled. Slowly he released his grip on her waist and stepped back.

"Alright, I won't."

Hermione paused for a moment, weighing the challenge in her head before taking a step towards the burrow. However, that one step was as far as she got when his hand quickly grabbed her own once again and pulled her back into his arms

"Don't go!"

Hermione couldn't help laughing as he held onto her tightly, stumbling slightly on the hilltop as a sudden strong gust of cold wind whipped around them once again. George turned his back to the wind; shielding her from it as Hermione pressed her cold face into his chest. When the wind finally receded once again, he unwrapped on arm from her waist and pushed back her windblown hair, his fingers moving to her chin. Gently, he lifted her face to look at him.

She stared back into his eyes as his hands tightened around her waist. His thumb continued to trace along her jawline gently as Hermione moved her hands up and around her neck. His eyes moved to her lips and she leant forward.

The kiss was soft and hesitant, so different from his sudden bold kiss at midnight or the rushed fevered kisses in the kitchen. It was one that asked questions yes, but it was also one that filled her with warmth even as the cold January wind whipped around them. After a long moment, George pulled away and smiled.

"Go out with me sometime"

"Alright."

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oOoOoOo

"The title for this and the cute don't ask me to stay/don't go parts are from the great old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rodgers musical The Gay Divorcee, super cute I highly recommend. Again hope you enjoyed! Please drop by the Twins Exchange page to vote for me!"-E


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